Carrier or driving means for workpieces in lathes and the like



June 30, 1953 s. s. HOWARD CARRIER OR DRIVING MEANS FOR WORKPIECES IN LATHES, AND THE LIKE Filed March 1, 1950 i AME/V7070 STANLEY Gama/v Ham 1Z7 6, MQZSTCMZLL Arron/V 7 Patented June 30, 1953 CARRIER OR DRIVING MEANS FOR WORK- PIECES IN LATHES AND THE LIKE 1 Stanley Gordon Howard, Sutton Coldfield,

. England Application March 1, 1950, Serial No. 146,976

. in Great Britain March 10, 1949 2 Claims. (01. 82-42) This invention relates to carriers or driving means such as are used for driving work-pieces mounted between centres in a lathe, grinding machine, or the like.

My invention relates particularly to a carrier or driving means of the type comprising a ring member adapted to fit over the work-piece and having pivotally mounted in it a lever of which the inner end is formed as a double cam which grips the work-piece when the lever is rocked angularly in either direction, the outer end of the lever being adapted to be engaged by a driving peg or stud on a face-plate or the like so that the lever is automatically rocked over to grip and drive the worlr pieoe when the machine is started.

According to my invention, in a carrier or driving means of the type set forth above the lever is permitted a certain amount of radial movement in the ring or carrier as well as its pivotal movement and it is urged inwardly by a spring so that when it is fitted to a work-piece it will grip the work-piece resiliently and will remain securely in position while the work-piece is being set up in the lathe or other machine.

Preferably the lever is mounted in a transverse open slot in the ring member and is pivoted to rock on a hardened pin or peg passing through the ring in a direction parallel to the axis of the ring. The pin passes through a short radial slot in the lever or through an opening in the lever of greater diameter than the pin. A radial bore is drilled from the inner end of the lever to intersect the slot or opening and a compression spring housed in this bore abuts be tween the pin and a grub-screw screwed into the inner end of the bore.

This spring normally urges the lever inwardly to the limit of the movement allowed by the slot or opening, but the lever can move outwardly against the action of the spring to allow it to be fitted over a work-piece which is then resiliently gripped.

The inner end of the lever is formed as a double cam of such contour that a small angular movement of the lever in either direction locks the work-piece in the carrier, the gripping surfaces of the cam preferably being smooth as it is found that such surfaces give a better grip than rough ened or serrated surfaces.

To allow the carrier to be used for work-pieces of different diameter angularly spaced set-pins are screwed radially through the ring member on the side opposite the lever, the set-pins being fitted with lock-nuts and their inner ends which engage the work-piece being rounded and hardened.

One practical form of carrier or driving means in accordance with my invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the carrier on a work-piece in the normal driving position.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the carrier partly in section.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the carrier.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the cam lever by itself.

In the carrier illustrated the body or ring a is hexagonal externally and may conveniently be formed by parting it off from a hexagonal steel bar. It has an axial circular opening I) of a diameter slightly greater than the maximum diameter of the Work-piece to be accommodated. A transverse slot 0 is formed in one side of the ring extending inwardly far enough to intersect the opening I). A flat cam lever d is mounted in this slot and is adapted to rock on a hardened pin or peg e of which the ends are fixed in the ring and of which the axis is parallel to that of the ring. The pin or peg passes through a radial slot 1 in the lever of a width which is only a clearance for the pin but of a length substantially greater than the diameter of the pin so that the lever can not only rock angularly about the pin but has a limited radial movement.

A radial bore g is drilled in from the inner end of the lever to meet the slot 1 and a compression spring h housed in this bore abuts between the pin e and a short grub-screw i screwed into the outer extremity of the bore.

The spring h normally urges the lever inwardly to the limit of the movement allowed by the slot 1 but the lever can move outwardly against the action of the spring to allow the ring to be fitted over a work-piece which is then resiliently gripped.

The inner end of the lever is formed as a double cam of such contour that a small angular movement of the lever in either direction locks the work-piece in the carrier.

Figure 1 shows the carrier on a cylindrical work-piece is mounted between centres in a lathe. The lever is engaged by a driving stud l on a face-plate m and the stud rocks over the lever as shown to grip the Work-piece and drive it.

The gripping surfaces of the cam are preferably smooth as it is found that such surfaces give a better grip than roughened or serrated surfaces.

To allow the carrier to be used for work-pieces of difierent diameter angularly spaced set-pins n are preferably screwed radially through the ring a on the side opposite to the lever, the set-pins being fitted with lock-nuts p and their inner ends which engage the work-piece being rounded and hardened.

I claim:

1. A carrier for gripping and driving a rotatable work-piece in a machine, comprising a ring member to receive the work-piece, a slot in the ring member, a cam lever mounted in said slot for em gagement with the work-piece, a pin fixed in the ring member and passing through said slot in a direction parallel to the axis of the ring member, an elongated opening in said cam lever through which said pin passes and which has a dimension in a radial direction, a radial bore drilled in from the inner end of the cam lever to intersect said opening therein, a spring in said bore bearing against said pin, and a plug fixed in the inner end of said bore to form an abutment for the spring.

'2. A carrier for gripping and driving a rotatable work-piece in a machine comprising a ring member to receive the work-piece, a slot in said ring in a plane at right angles to its axis, a cam lever mounted in said slot for engagement with the work-piece, a substantially radial elongated opening in said lever, a pin fixed in said ring member parallel to the axis thereof and passing through said opening in the lever, and spring means mounted in said lever and bearing on said pin for normally holding the lever at the inner limit of its radial movement.

STANLEY GORDON HOWARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,394,861 Torneau 1 Feb. 12, 1946 2,418,864 Barggren Apr. 15, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,289 Great Britain Dec. 21, 1901 of 1901 605,842 Great Britain July 30, 1948 

